Safety draw-bar.



- WITNESSES H. F. BALL,

4SAFETY DRAW BAR. APPLICATION FILED sEPTlzn. 1911.

Patented. J 111. 8, 1918.

E@ ae-.aras earner ernten. i

HERMAN r. BALL, or BR'onxvILnn, NEW Yoan', assIeNon 'roncoNoMY Deviens ooarona'rron, or New YORK, N. Y., A coRroRATIoN or NEW YORK.`

SAFETY DRAW-BAR.

retenes.

Application led September 20, 1917. Serial No. 192,238.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Beit known that l, HERMAN F. BALL, of Bronxville', in the county of Westchester and `State of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Safety Draw-Bars, of which improvement the following is a specilication.

y My invention relates to couplings for railroad vehicles, of the class or type which is set .forth in Letters .Patent of the United States No. 1,216,692, granted and issued to Harry A. Heks, under date of February 20, 1917, upon which coupling it is an improvement. The object of my invention is to provide a coupling of the type above specified which will embody the features of strength and security of that of said Patent No. 1,216,692, and will, further, insure exemption from accidental separation of the coupled vehicles by the breakage or displacement of either of the coupling pins.

The improvement .claimed 'is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1, is a vertical longitudinaly central rsection through an appliance embodying my invention, and; Fig. 2, a horizontal section through the same, on the line of Fig. 1, in position when the coupled vehicles are passin a curve.

lin t e practice of my invention, referring descriptiveiy to the specific embodiment thereof which is herein exemplified, a locomotive and `tender are, as heretofore, connected by a :main draw bar, 1, which is coul pled to the locomotive by a pin, 2, passing through. a pocket, 3, on the foot plate, 3, and to the tender by a pin, f4, passing through a draw bar pin casting, 5. The pin 2, is fitted in sockets in the top plate, 3", o

the pocket, 3a, and in a plate, 3, extending across the' pocket, between the top plate, 3b, and the bottom plate, 3".- The tender coupling pin, 4, is fitted in sockets in the top plate, 5,", of the draw bar 'pin casting, in the bottom plate, 5", thereof, and in an intermediate plate, 5, extendingacross the casting.

The locomotive and tender are also connected by an auxiliary or safety draw bar,10, normally substantially parallel with the main draw bar, which does notvdiifer subtantial.y in length from the main draw bar,

l, and which is coupled to the locomotive by a pin, l0 fitted 1n sockets in the intermediate plate, 3C, and the bottom plate, 3d, of the draw bar pocket, 3a, in. advance of the main draw bar coupling pin, 2. The opposite end of the safety draw bar -is coupled to the tender, by a pin, 10b, fitted in sockets in the intermediate plate, 5, and the'bottom plate, 5b, of the draw bar casting, 5, in advance of the main draw bar coupling pin, 4. The diameters ofthe eyes of the safety Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

drawbar. are slightly larger than those of the pins to which said bar is coupled, so that it is not normally under tension, and is not v subjected to. tension, except in the event of the breakage or displacement of one or the other of the coupling pins of the main draw bar, or'the breakage of 'said bar. The coupling pins, .4, 10, and 10b,'are held in position by keepers, 11, of any suitable and preferred construction, and downward movement of the pin, 2, is prevented by a key or pin passing through it.

It will be seen that under the constructionabove described, any one of the four coupling pins may be lost or 'broken' without impairinpthe safety of the connection between the coupled vehicles, and, as indicated in Fig. 2, by reason of the practically equal lengths of the main .and safety draw bars, the freedom of relative movement of the vehicles,.1n passing around curves, 1s

practically as ,great as if the main andY safety draw bars were concentrically pivoted to the vehicles. v

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. 1n a railroad vehicle draft gear, the combinationy of two draw bar castings, each adapted `to be supported on a railroad vehicle; pins, fitted in said castings; an integral main draw bar` coupled directly to said pins; a safety draw bar, normally parallel, in vertical planes,- with the main draw bar; and' pins, fitted in the draw bar castings, adjacent to the main draw `bar pins, to which safety draw bar pins the safety drawbar is i coupled, independently ofthe main draw bar. l

2. In a railroad vehicle draft gear, the

' combination of two draw bar castings, each adapted to be supported on a railroad vehicle; pins, fitted in said castings; a main draw bar, coupled to said pins; a safety draw bar, not materially differing in length from "the main draw har; and pins, fitted in the draw bar castings, to which the safety draw bar isfoupled, independently of the main draw bar. l

3. In a railroad vehicle draft gear, the combination of two draw bar castings, adapted tobe supported on the rear of `a loco-motive and the 'front of a tender, respectively; pins, fitted in the longitudinal central planes of said castings; an integral main draw bar coupled directly to said pins; a safety draw bar; and safety draw bar pins, fitted in the draw bar castlngs, in the same longitudinal planes as the main draw bar pins, each being located between one 'of the main dran bar pins and the front end of its draw bar casting, the safety draw bar being coupled to said safety draw Lasaeae bar pins, independently of the main draw bar.

4. In a railroad vehicle' draft gear, the combination, with two railroad vehicles, of an integral main draw-bar, coupled, at each end, directly to one of said Vehicles; and a safety draw bar, coupled to each of said vehicles, adjacent to, in line longitudinally With, and independently of, the connections of the main draw bar thereto, whereby substantial.1)arallelism, in vertical planes7 of the main and safety draw bars, is

HERMAN r. BALL. Witnesses attained.

H. F. MCLEVITT, JAMES MCLAUGHLIN. 

